Shloka 17
उपायधर्म-सेनायोगः
Upāya-dharma and Senāyoga: Expedient Ethics & Army Deployment
बहुभिग्गुणजातैश्व ये युद्धकुशला जना: । उपन्यासो भवेत् तत्र बलानां नातिदूरत:
bahubhir guṇajātaiś ca ye yuddhakuśalā janāḥ | upanyāso bhavet tatra balānāṃ nātidūrataḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：“凡精于战事、洞悉地势诸般实利之人皆以为：扎营与其在旷野平原，不如择近林之地更为有利。故军营当设于林地不远处，以便随时备战，且易于遏止敌军来袭。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that military decisions should be guided by practical advantages (guṇa) of terrain: an encampment should be placed close to supportive natural features (like a forest) to improve defense, mobility, and readiness against sudden attack.
In Bhishma’s instruction on governance and warfare in the Shanti Parva, he gives tactical counsel on where an army should establish its camp, recommending a site near a forest rather than an exposed open field, so the force can better resist enemy assaults.